Reigning Serie A champions Juventus are desperate for three points in the Derby della Mole as they look to close the gap on league leaders Napoli. Torino have endured a mixed spell of late but their head to head records against Bianconeri does not give much promise.

Consistency Needed

Torino are definitely considered as one of Italy’s exciting sides. El Toro have been making steady progress over the past couple of seasons but their former manager Sinisa Mihajlovic still paid the price for lack of consistency despite recording some notable results during his time with the club.

High-profile manager Walter Mazzarri took over to bring stability and lift the club above its own abilities but things are not exactly going according to plan. Torino have been alternating between wins and draws over the past five matches with memories of the January 2-0 Coppa Italia defeat at the hands of their city rivals still fresh in their memory. El Toro head into the Sunday’s clash in positive mood following the 2-0 win over Udinese which saw the highly-rated striker Andrea Belotti score his fifth goal of the season and the first one in 2018. The forward who’s been targeted by several top Europe’s clubs needs to step up his game following injury problems and it seems he’s on a good way of reaching his last season’s form.

Mazzarri will have no fresh selection worries for Derby della Molle. Brazilian defender Lyanco remains the only unavailable player for the home side.

No Room for Error

The pressure is high in Juventus camp following the 2-2 stalemate against Tottenham in the Champions League earlier this week. Bianconeri hit Spurs with a quick double fire, going two up after only nine minutes thanks to a brace by Gonzalo Higuain. One of the tightest defensive units in Europe still failed to keep hold of the tangible lead with Tottenham showing great character to get back in the game and earn a valuable draw which Juventus fans hope will leave no dents in their team’s confidence.

Bianconeri are looking for a swift return to winning ways and stand as huge favourites to dispatch the home side on Sunday. Juventus have been flying high on the 11-match winning run in Serie A and Coppa Italia, during which time they only conceded one goal. Allegri is prepared to unleash his strongest side in the derby game despite certain selection problems that could potentially complicate things for the visiting side.

Andrea Barzagli is struggling with a calf injury but could get back to full fitness in time for the short trip. Benedikt Howedes remains out with an injured thigh, whereas Juan Cuadrado and Blaise Matuidi also miss out. Paulo Dybala is a huge selection doubt due to his muscle problem.

Verdict

Juventus are desperate in their search for points and will do everything in their power to win. They have enjoyed a rather successful spell against Torino lately, going unbeaten by the Bulls since 2015 and we fully expect such a positive trend to continue this time around.